The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 4 eBook

The pourer of libations, possessed of every qualification,
became engaged in pouring libations of clarified butter.
The great Rishis were seated around. The deities
were summoned one by one by contented Brahmanas of
great learning uttering scriptural Mantras in sweet
voices. Those foremost of Adhwaryyus, not fatigued
with what they did, recited the Mantras of the Yajurveda
in soft accents. The time came for slaughtering
the animals. When the animals selected for sacrifice
were seized, the great Rishis, O king, felt compassion
for them. Beholding that the animals had all become
cheerless, those Rishis, endued with wealth of penances,
approached Sakra and said unto him, ’This method
of sacrifice is not auspicious. Desirous of acquiring
great merit as thou art, this is verily an indication
of thy unacquaintance with sacrifice. O Purandara,
animals have not been ordained to be slaughtered in
sacrifices. O puissant one, these preparations
of thine are destructive of merit. This sacrifice
is not consistent with righteousness. The destruction
of creatures can never be said to be an act of righteousness.
If thou wishest it, let thy priests perform thy sacrifice
according to the Agama. By performing a sacrifice
according to the (true import of the) scriptural ordinances,
great will be the merit achieved by thee. O thou
of a hundred eyes, do thou perform the sacrifice with
seeds of grain that have been kept for three years.
Even this, O Sakra, would be fraught with great righteousness
and productive of fruits of high efficacy.’
The deity of a hundred sacrifices, however, influenced
by pride and overwhelmed by stupefaction, did not
accept these words uttered by the Rishis. Then,
O Bharata, a great dispute arose in that sacrifice
of Sakra between the ascetics as to how sacrifices
should be performed, that is, should they be performed
with mobile creatures or with immobile objects.
All of them were worn out with disputation. The
Rishis then, those beholders of truth, having made
an understanding with Sakra (about referring the matter
to arbitration) asked king Vasu, ’O highly blessed
one, what is the Vedic declaration about sacrifices?
Is it preferable to perform sacrifices with animals
or with steeds and juices? Hearing the question,
king Vasu, without all judging of the strength or
weakness of the arguments on the two sides, at once
answered, saying, ’Sacrifices may be performed
with whichever of the two kinds of objects is ready.’
Having answered the question thus, he had to enter
the nether regions. Indeed the puissant ruler
of the Chedis had to undergo that misery for having
answered falsely. Therefore, when a doubt arises,
no person, however wise, should singly decide the matter,
unless he be the puissant and self-born Lord himself
of creatures. Gifts made by a sinner with an
impure understanding, even when they are very large,
become lost. Such gifts go for nothing. By
the gifts made by a person of unrighteous conduct,—­one,
that is, who is of sinful soul and who is a destroyer,